Hide Your High

Have you read the story about children in Colorado getting sick because they are “accidentally” consuming food items made with marijuana?  As a Coloradoan, I smirked when I read it.  If you haven’t seen the story, you can read it HERE.

Now, I don’t find it at all amusing that children have gotten sick and even gone to the hospital.  That is tragic and sad, though let me note that all of the children hospitalized have recovered in full and have been released. 

 

Medicinal marijuana comes in many forms, one of which is gummy candies.  Already, one can understand why this is appealing to a child.  My children scarf down gummy bears like there’s no tomorrow….however, my gummy bears aren’t laced with marijuana. Thus, the responsibility for the children getting sick is on the parents, not the government who approved the use of medicinal marijuana in eighteen states and Washington, DC.   If you are a parent with a prescription for medicinal marijuana, it is your responsibility to treat it as any other prescription drug and “Keep it out of reach of children.”

We want to blame, blame, blame when bad things happen, but sometimes we have to accept the fact that those things happen because of our own error or stupidity and not because of some law that does or does not exist.  Everything cannot be everyone else’s fault. 

If you're using medicinal marijuana than it is your job to hide your high.~

Colorado's 4G Craze

Colorado has become a 4G focused network, and I’m not talking about cellular coverage. I’m referring to:  Grass.  Gay Rights.  Guns.  And Gas. 

Oh, the questions that plague the minds of Colorado voters.  Should we be allowed to do this, should it be okay to do that, and so on and so forth.  It’s absolutely exhausting. 

Statewide, Coloradans can roll a fatty, smoke a doobie and carry up to an ounce of marijuana without worrying about being arrested by local law enforcement.  This law sort of gives the John Denver song a whole new meaning…“Rocky Mountain high, Colorado.”  While half of the state celebrates with a half pipe, the other half labors over what new laws need to be instated to ensure driver safety and penalties for stoned driving…that is, if they can determine beyond a shadow of a doubt that a person is indeed stoned when they are pulled over.  While radical Republicans worry that Colorado will become the next Amsterdam, radical liberals bask in the beauty of their peace pipes and utter, “I love you, man.”

And that’s just one issue plaguing the state.  Republicans are up in arms about the Gay Rights bill passed, allowing civil union for homosexuals.  Liberals proclaim they won’t stop fighting until a bill allowing gay marriage is passed; while radical right-wingers revolt, spewing God’s judgment and condemnation on the state.  

 

And those in the middle roll another fatty and hope everyone shuts up soon.

The whole state is up in arms, literally, as gun shows reach an all-time high in both gun sales and ammunition sales.  Liberals fight for magazine limits while Republicans try to shoot down their arguments. 

And the rest of the state wakes and bakes to try to avoid the conflict.

 

 

 

 

Gas prices skyrocket and Environmentalists go crazy over Fracking.  Save the environment or lower the cost of fuel…apparently we can’t have both.

And the stoners see that if the radical left and right wing dopes would smoke some dope there might be peace in the world.

What’s the answer?  I have no idea.  Maybe the left and the right need to be locked in a room until they can hash it all out…no pun intended.  Or, maybe the left and the right need to hash it out in order to find the answer…pun intended that time.  J

Either way, I think it's time to realize that our state is in a 4G debate that has no end in sight.  The constant upheaval is exhausting.  The truth on all issues lies somewhere in the middle, in a position of compromise and understanding….so let’s put that thought in our pipes and smoke it!  ~

 

 

 

Constitutional "Write"

As the gun control debate rages in Colorado, I find myself forced to take a stand.  During a chat room discussion with several of my readers, one asked me if I would consider taking guns out of my books.  My answer is a resounding no.  Guns will continue to play a big role in my novels despite those who oppose them. 

I believe in upholding my Constitutional right to bear arms in life and on paper.

As a murder mystery/suspense writer, guns are an integral part of my stories, especially the Just Call Me Angel mafia series.  I think there is a certain level of suspense that comes with the pulling of a trigger.  It is also a lot less gory in description than, say, stabbing. 

I don't just write about guns, I'm a gun owner and I enjoy going to the shooting range.  Before choosing guns for each of the characters in my Just Call Me Angel series, I went to a shooting range and handled several different guns of all shapes and sizes.  I sized up a .44, .38, .22, 9mm and a 357 magnum, which is my personal favorite.

Owning a gun doesn't make me a risk for shooting someone anymore than owning a car makes me a candidate to run someone over.  

That being said, I don't disagree with the idea of increasing background checks, having buyers pay for their own background checks, banning online certification for concealed-carry permits and banning certain assault weapons from public consumption; but let me be clear.  In the end, American citizens have a Constitutional right to bear arms and that should never change.

There is one Colorado bill on the table that I do not support and that is the bill proposing to limit magazine capacity.  If this is passed, companies, like Magpul, will leave Colorado and take hundreds of jobs with them.  I think this bill is ineffective and will cause more damage than good, especially in an economy that is already struggling.  I realize we live in the state that has suffered from two of the deadliest mass shootings in US history, the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School and the 2012 Aurora Theatre shooting.  We all want mass shootings to stop.  We all want to save lives, but unfortunately, no law is going to fix crazy. 

Radical anti-gun action isn't the solution.  Revoking a citizen’s right to own a gun will only stop law-abiding citizens from being able to defend themselves.  The reality is, despite the law, criminals will keep their weapons, just like they keep their drugs.  Instead of limiting magazines and chasing jobs out of Colorado, why don’t we create more jobs by placing armed guards in our schools state-wide?  Now THAT is a law I’d support.

 

If I could say anything to Governor Hickenlooper and House Representative Fields, it would be this.  Fixing the problem is simple, it’s the application that’s hard. Get rid of the crazy people because guns don’t kill anyone…people do.

One thing is certain, regardless of what laws are passed, I will be bearing arms in both the real and fictional world.  ~